Spiritual Road Rage
As someone who loves playing and watching sports, I always appreciate some of the competitive and athletic illustrations used in Scripture. One such illustration is Galatians 5:7…
You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and
kept you from obeying the truth?
It’s often said that the Christian life is a marathon not a sprint, but either way, it’s a lot like a race. We run, we tire, we drink, we pass, we pace, we falter, we sweat, we finish. Whether or not you’ve ever run a race, we all can relate to someone cutting in us (think traffic!). Minding our own business or diligently pursuing a goal, something or someone can come in and distract us from what’s most important.
In the context of this passage, Paul is writing about people who have caused the Galatians to begin thinking that the laws of religion supersede the faith and belief they have confessed. Today, adhering to a set of rules can easily distract people. As we all know, it’s much easier to obey rules and regulations than it is to deal with the transformation of our hearts and minds.
I often deal with difficulties that make me reflect upon Paul’s words to the Galatians. I believe that Satan wants to cut in on me and get me thinking more about competing personalities – emotional, irrational, subjective thinking – than the facts! True discernment happens when I run the race well and battle against those who would try to turn my attention away from the course. Paul cites the biblical axiom “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” and encourages us to understand that indulging the distractions can only produce more anger, resentment, distrust, and bad decision-making.
Think about the race you’re running. Are you running a good race? Are you staying within the course boundaries? Are you being distracted? Are you stopping along the way or even backtracking? Is someone or something cutting in on you? Are you winning or losing? Not surprisingly, scripture gives us the best coaching: 1 Corinthians 9:24…
Run in such a way to get the prize.
